As March comes to a close, I found myself shifting from Shared Casts, a moment grounded in quiet camaraderie, to something that leans in a very different direction. Sebastian and Jimmy tend to live where plans unravel and simple ideas take on a life of their own. As I continue to settle into writing comedies, I still find myself returning to my story cubes for a starting point. This time, the combination was simple: a trail into a mountain, a mushroom, and a filled bag. With those elements in place, I set out to build the next entry in this growing series inspired by Abbott and Costello.
Some days begin with intention. Others begin with a plan that sounds reasonable until the first step is taken. A quiet trail winding into the mountains tends to promise both. Space to think. Room to breathe. Just enough distance from everything else to feel like something might unfold if given the time. It is the sort of place where details matter more than urgency, and where preparation can shape the entire day long before the first turn in the path is reached.
There is a rhythm to traveling with another person, especially when that rhythm has been established over time. One learns when to speak, when to wait, and when to brace for the unexpected. Some companions bring a steady hand and a measured pace. Others bring a different kind of contribution, one that cannot always be accounted for in advance no matter how carefully a plan is constructed. Between those two approaches lies a balance that rarely holds for long.
On this particular morning, the air carried a quiet sense of anticipation that lingered just beneath the surface before anything had a chance to shift. The trail stretched ahead without offering answers, and the forest stood patient as ever, indifferent to what would pass beneath its branches. It was, in every respect, an ordinary beginning. One that would only remain so for a very short while.
Packed Assumptions
Sebastian rested his foot on a rock and took a deep breath. A shiver ran down his spine as he adjusted the straps over his shoulders. He rubbed his chin and stared down the twisting path as it wound up the mountain like a noodle someone dropped onto a pile of dirty dishes. His gaze swept up to the pine trees leaning overhead as the whispering wind jostled the dangling needles.
Thump.
Sebastian cringed as his shoulders jumped to his ears. As several more wet thuds squelched out, his shoulders fell. He turned to find Jimmy yanking a heavy canvas sack. The bag sailed through the air and collided with the ground, creating another wet squelch.
“Jimmy…,” Sebastian rubbed his eyes as his head shook. “Why is your bag arguing with gravity?”
“What are you talking about?” Jimmy wiped his brow with his sleeve. He hauled the bag up to his shoulder as he marched forward, swaying with each step. “Nobody can argue with gravity. It’s a force of nature.”
“That’s…” Sebastian slammed a fist into his palm, “what’s weighing your bag down?”
“Oh, that question makes more sense.”
“Could you answer it?”
Jimmy dropped the sack down next to Sebastian and clapped his friend’s shoulder as his smile grew wider. “It’s mushrooms.”
Sebastian bent down and grabbed a corner of the sack, lifting an edge. “Mushrooms, unless there’s far too many in there, don’t thud.”
Jimmy shook his head, reclaiming the bag as he levered it onto his shoulder. “That’s true unless they’re determined. These are very determined.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s too complicated to explain.” As Jimmy turned to stare down the path, the bag swung like a wrecking ball, smacking Sebastian’s hip. “What’s down there?”
Sebastian’s arms flailed before he fell to the ground with a grunt. “Jimmy! Be more careful with that sack!”
Jimmy turned back to his friend and offered Sebastian a hand as he steadied the bag. “See? Very solid mushrooms.”
After climbing to his feet, Sebastian dusted off his pants before jabbing a finger into Jimmy’s chest. “Walk me through your thought process.”
“You said we were exploring a mountain trail today,” Jimmy said, hiking the bag further up his back.
“I did.”
“We would spend the entire day exploring every inch.”
“I’m with you so far.”
Jimmy smiled as he brandished the sack. “I packed lunch since our stay today will extend for many hours.”
“And you decided that was an appropriate meal.” Sebastian tapped the bag as he chewed his lip. He took a step back, watching Jimmy nod his head. Sebastian pushed the sack into Jimmy’s chest. “That’s not lunch. That’s a botanical offense.”
Jimmy wrapped his arms around the sack and pulled it close. “Don’t talk like that about our lunch.”
“No collection of mushrooms provides proper nourishment,” Sebastian said, slamming the back of his hand onto the other. “We need more than fungus to survive, let alone thrive.”
“Wait a second.” Jimmy took a step away from his friend as his eyes narrowed and he pulled the sack closer to his chest. “How’d you figure out what’s inside? Can you see through solid objects? Are you peering past my clothing?”
“No!” Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. “A sack of mushrooms has an obvious shape.”
Jimmy’s shoulders relaxed as he nodded. “Ah, that makes sense.”
Sebastian struck his forehead with a palm and shook his head. “You told me it was filled with mushrooms.”
“But I didn’t tell you it was a fine assortment.”
Sebastian wrapped an arm around his friend and pointed down the path. “Only a fool would fill the sack with one type of mushroom, and I have more respect for you than to assume you’re that foolish. How about we continue?”
“After you,” Jimmy said, extending a hand.
With a nod, Sebastian started down the path, and five steps later, Jimmy tripped over a root. As he fell, the bag swung forward. When Sebastian heard Jimmy’s cry, he ducked out of the way, letting the sack slam into a tree. It shook as if it had been hit with a hammer, dislodging a pinecone. It plummeted and struck Jimmy’s head.
Jimmy glanced up at the tree, blinking. “The trees are certainly aggressive.”
Shaking his head, Sebastian grabbed the bag before it could swing again. “How many mushrooms are in here?”
“Take a look.” Jimmy stepped back and opened the bag.
Sebastian leaned in and found several enormous mushrooms the size of dinner plates. He reached in and withdrew one. When he turned, it fell from his grasp and bounced off the ground. Jimmy dropped the bag and rushed forward, reaching for the bouncing shroom as more rolled out of the bag. Soon three of the giant mushrooms rolled down the trail like soft bowling balls.
As Jimmy rushed after them, they slammed into another tree, rebounding off the rough bark, only to have Jimmy step on one, squishing it. His foot slid forward, and he fell, squishing the other two shrooms.
Sebastian stepped up to his friend and stared down, his arms crossed over his chest. “Well, your lunch has escaped containment. Tell me, where’d you discover these?”
“I found them in the woods.”
“Which ones?”
Jimmy pushed off the ground and knocked off the larger chunks of mushroom from his shirt. “The ones behind the gas station we go to.”
Sebastian closed his eyes. “Jimmy… those are not edible mushrooms.”
“What kind are they?” Jimmy asked as he proffered the largest chunk of the fungus.
“The kind that are mass-produced with foam. We aren’t eating any of these.”
Jimmy finished knocking off the fake shroom pieces. “Then why did I carry them up the mountain?”
“That’s an excellent question.” Sebastian grabbed a large chunk and walked over to a nearby stump. He laid it down and rubbed his mouth. “Are you still up to explore?”
“I’d rather find mushrooms that don’t fight back… or organize an escape.”